News Release Defensible Space 1 Final .pdf

CAL FIRE/Butte County Fire Department
Also proudly serving the cities of Biggs, Gridley and the
Town of Paradise

NEWS RELEASE
CONTACT:

Rick Carhart, Information Officer
530-531-7585

RELEASE Monday,
DATE: January 29, 2018

Now is the Time to Prepare for the 2018 Fire Season
Butte County - California endured its worst fire season on record in 2017. Statewide, in
CAL FIRE’s responsibility area, 7,117 wildfires scorched more than 505,000 acres of
land.
Residents of Butte County were not spared from the destruction. Firefighters in CAL
FIRE’s Butte Unit battled blazes that consumed 25,811 acres. Four major devastating
fires: Wall, Ponderosa, Cherokee, and La Porte, destroyed 114 homes, 6 commercial
structures, and 112 outbuildings.
As we move into the new year, CAL FIRE/Butte County Fire would like to remind
residents that NOW is the time to prepare for the 2018 fire season. As evidenced by
the Thomas Fire that occurred in December in Southern California, destructive wildfires
can and do happen year round.
Now is the time to start cutting dead branches and brush, and limbing up your trees
within 100 feet of your home. Butte Unit Fire Chief Darren Read says, “I can’t stress
enough how important defensible space is in protecting your home. The work you put in
now will pay big dividends during a wildfire.”
Chief Read encourages Butte County residents to contact their local fire station for
information on defensible space requirements and other ways to make their home fireready, or visit www.readyforwildfire.org to learn about defensible space and creating a
family wildfire action plan.
Whether California returns to the drought conditions of the previous four years, or sees
another year of historic rainfall, the land will dry out, and summer will arrive, bringing
with it the potential for deadly and devastating wildfires. Don’t be caught unprepared.
Get ready now for a fire-safe year.

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